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Unity in Sudan is focus of talk

Posted February 11, 2009; 11:52 p.m.

by Staff

Sudanese-born historian Jok Madut Jok will discuss instability in his home country in a lecture titled "Sudan and the Fallacy of Nationhood: How Political Islam Threatens National Unity" at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18, in 16 Robertson Hall.

Jok is an associate professor of history at Loyola Marymount University. He is the author of three books and numerous articles on reproductive health, humanitarian aid, ethnography of political violence, gender-based violence, war and slavery, and the politics of identity in Sudan.

Born and raised in Sudan, Jok's experiences have been marked by political instability, dictatorial governments, economic problems, conflict and exile. While a graduate student in Egypt and the United States, he became interested in the impact of war on gender relations. After conducting research in Sudan and refugee camps in the neighboring countries, he wrote "Militarization, Gender and Reproductive Health in South Sudan," which chronicles how violence is reproduced within communities and families during times of hostile political conflict. His latest book is titled “Sudan: Race, Religion and Violence."

Jok also has served as a humanitarian aid worker and a consultant for a number of aid agencies.